Shank reducing machine



April 17, 1945.

C. E. HOOD SHANK REDUCING MACHINE.

Fr Sheets-Sheet i Filed April 2, 1943 April 17, 1945. c HOOD I 2,373,758

SHANK REDUCING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1945 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 i Fig.2.

' WVE/VTUR ME. 41

P 4 0.2. HOOD I 2,373,758

' srmm REDUCING MACHINE K Filed April 2, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet s April 17, 1945. c. E. HOOD SHANK REDUCING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1943 7 Sheets-Shet 4 A ril 17, 1945 c. E. HOOD SHANK REDUCING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1945.

7 Sheets-Sheet 5 5/ w ya /z2 17, C. E. HOOD SHANK REDUCING MACHINE Filed April 2, 1943 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 2 W N WVE/VTUR Patented Apr. 17,

Charles E. Hood, Lynn, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J I a corporation of New Jersey Application April 2, 1943, Serial No. 481,616

21 Claims.

This invention relates'to machines for operat ing on soles and is herein illustratedand described as embodied in a shank reducing machine. There are two types of shank reducing machines in '7 common use. In one type the sole is fed between 'a pair of matrix rolls to a knife which reduces the opposite marginal portions of the sole simultaneously. The matrix rolls, however, are expensive, and a machine must be equipped with several pairs to perform high grade work upon soles which vary considerably in size or style. The changing of the matrix rolls, furthermore, requires time and effort. In the othertype of machine the sole is fed between a pair of rolls to a shank reducing knife while being held against an edge gage; this operation being performed in se-' quence upon the opposite lateral margins of the sole. i It is an object of the present invention to provide a shank reducing machine capable of operating simultaneously upon the opposite lateral 'margins of a sole without requiring expensive matrix rolls. The machine illustrated herein, furthermore, is capable of thus operating upon two soles simultaneously.

In accordance with a feature of the invention, the illustrated machine is provided with a pair of clamps for clamping the two soles, a set of knives for operating on the soles, and a common means for operating the clamps in unison and the knives in unison in timed relation to the operation of the clamps. The operating means consists of a cam mechanism which first causes the soles. to be clamped and then moves the knives through theirv cutting strokes. The soles are thus held flat against a work table while the knivesare operating, and because the soles areheld flat'the operation can be performed more accurately than would be'possible if the soles were to be allowed to buckle, twist,'or otherwise depart from their normal shapes while being fed past a stationary knife.

It is desirable to maintain each knife approximately at right angles to the portion of the sole edge upon which it is operating. Another feature of the invention consists, accordingly, in an arrangement for turning the knives to obtain this result; The knives are therefore mounted on spindles journaled in the knife carriers and rotated by a cam mechanism. While the knives are advancing from the heel end of each sole toward the ball line, the curvature of the sole edge is not sufficient to call for varying angles of the knives. At the ball line, however, the curvature is more pronounced. (The illustrated machine, therefore,

is arranged to advance the knivesof each pair simultaneously from the heel end of the sole to cause them to'reduce the shank of the sole at the opposite lateral margins thereof, and then'to turn the knives outwardly to cause them to emerge from the sole at the ball line.

It is necessary, as the knives'advance, to impart a lateral component to their movement which'will cause them to follow the curvature of the sole edges. This is accomplished, in the illustrated machine, by a spring mechanism which urges the knives inwardly toward'the sole as far as permitted by-gages on the'knife blocks. These gages, in the illustrated machine, bear against the edges of the sole itself rather than against a templet shaped like the sole. Some advantages of thus gaging from the sole itself are the saving of the time and effort which would be lost in matching templets to fit the various soles, the saving of the cost of the templets (of which a large number. would be required), and the attainment ofgreater accuracy, foreven with a large number of templets the exactmatching of any particular sole with a templet would be unlikely. However, in dispensing with templets and gaging from the sole itself the inward pressure exerted by the gages against the sole must be kept fairly constantjiif too great it will cause the edgesof ,the sole to curl over; and if too little it will fail to keep the gages in contact Withthe sole. Such maintenance of constant pressure is rendered difficult by the variation in the width of a sole from the heel end to thevball line. .This variar tion in the width of the sole, unlesscompensated for, would cause considerable variation in the flexing of, and consequently in the stress exerted by, the springs which hold the knife gages against the edges of the sole. .One of the features of the presentinventien is to provide for holding the gages against, the sole "edges with fairly constant pressure, notwithstanding the variation in the width of thesole from the heel end to the ball line. The means for accomplishing this result, in

the illustrated machine, comprises a pair of cam plates having guiding edges which are approximately parallel to the soleedges. The springs act against the knife guides through these plates; and since the edges of the-plates are approximately parallel to. the edges of the soles, very little change in the flexing of the springs will take place.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of one embodiment thereof,

selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shank reducing machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the upper left-hand portion of the machine (indicated by the arrow III of Fig. 2) showing more particularly the arrangement of the knife carriages;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line V-V of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line VI-V'I of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of one of the sole clamps as seen when looking in the direction ofthe arrow 8 in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of one of the knife carrier blocks;

Fig. 10 is a sectional View taken on the line X--X of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a bottom plan view of the block shown in Fig, 9;

Fig. 12 is a sectional view taken on the line XIIXII of Fig. 9;

Fig. 13 is a sectional view taken on the line 'XIiL-XIII of Fig. 9;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken on the line XIV-XIV of Fig. 9;

Fig. 15 is a. sectional view taken on the line XV-XV of Fig. 9;'

Fig. 16 is a side elevation of a portion of the knife block, looking toward the end of the knife and the end of the presser foot;

Fig. 17 is an enlarged plan view of the mechanism for gaging the knives relatively to the edges of the soles and also of the mechanism for gaging soles upon a work table;

Fig. 1815 a diagram illustrating the sequence of operations in a cycle; and

Fig. 19 is a plan view of a sole which has been operated upon by the knives.

The illustrated machine as shown in Fig 2 of the drawings is arranged to operate upon a left sole L and a right sole R simultaneously. These soles rest upon a work table 30 which constitutes the top closure of a frame or housing 32 (see also Fig. 1). Two notches 33 (Figs. 2, 6 and 1'7) are formed in the forward portion of the work table 3!! to enable the operator to grasp the soles L and R between his fingers in positioning 'the soles upon. the work table and in removing them after the operation. These notches also help the operator to center the heel ends of the soles. The soles are gaged at their toe ends by a pair of gages 34 and 36 respectively and are held down upon the work table 30 by pair of clamps, one of which, indicated by the reference numeral 38, is shown in Figs. 6 and "8. The shank reducing operation is then performed by a pair of knives '48 and 42 (Fig. 3) for the left sole, and

a similar pair of knives "4| and '43 (see also Fig. 17) for'the right sole. These knives are advanced from an initial position rearward of the heel end of the sole to reduce or bevel the edges from the lines 44 and 46 (Fig. 19) to the corresponding edges of the sole.

Each of the toe gages 34 and 36 has a V-shapedwork engaging notch which serves not only to limit the distance which the sole can be moved forwardly by the operator but also to center the toe end of the sole. These gages are freely slidable upon the surface of the work table 35, each Y gage being connected to an arm 48 by a pair of parallel links 50 and 52. As shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the left-hand toe gage 34 is thus connected to the left-hand end of the arm 48 and the right-hand toe gage 36 is thus connected to the right-hand end of the arm 48. The central portion of the arm 48 constitutes a hub 54 within which a shaft56 (see Fig, 6.) is. freely rotatable. Pinned upon the adjacent end of the shaft 56 to rotate therewith is a sleeve 58 which carries a cam 60 having a eripheral slot. Secured upon the work table 30 is an upstanding pin 62 which engages the cam slot and which therefore upon the turning of the shaft 56 causes the shaft to advance or recede in the direction of its axis. The shaft 56 is supported for rotation within a sleeve 64 which is journaled in bearings formed in supporting frame members 66 and 68 secured uponand extending upwardly from the work table 30. The shaft 56 is turned by a knob 10 secured upon its forward end while the sleeve 64 is turned by a knob 12 upon its forward end. The knob 10 has a hub which bears against the outer face of the knob 12 to prevent relative movement between the sleeve 64 and the shaft 56 in one direction. The opposite end of the sleeve 64 carries hub 14- which bears against the hub 54; and the hub 54 bears against the sleeve 58 and thus prevents relative axial movement between the sleeve 64 and the shaft 56 in the opposite direction. The hub 54 is likewise held from axial movementin one direction by the sleeve 58 and in the other direction by the hub 14. It is evident from the construction so far described that turning of the knob 10 will cause the or rearwardly.

In order to provide for the proper gaging of different styles of soles, provision is made for varying the distances of the toe gages from a common center line which coincides with the axis of the shaft '56 and with the horizontal centerline of the machine. This is accomplished by connecting the gage '34 by a link 76 (Fig. 17) to an enlarged portion "18 of the hub 14. The link 16, at its left-hand end is pivotally connected to the toe gage 34 :and at its right-hand end is pivotally connected to the enlarged portion 18 at a point above the axis of the shaft 56. The righthand toe gage 3'6 is similarly connected to the hub 14 by a link 80 which, at its left-hand end, is connected to the enlarged portion 18 'below the axis of the shaft 56 at a pointdiametrically opposite to the pivotal connection of the link 16. It is evident that by reason of the above described connections the turning of. the knob I2 will cause the toe gages 34 and 36 to move closer together or further apart. Throughout the adjustments the proper orientation of the toe gages will be maintained by the sets of parallel links 50 and 52. i

The remaining operations are performed by automatic power-driven instrumentalities which will now be described. The power is obtained from a motor 82 (Figs. 1 and 2) mounted upon a bracket 84 secured upon a side wall of the housing 32. A pair of belts 84 from the motor 82 drive a constantlyrunning pulley 86 mounted outsidethe frame 32 for free rotation m shaft 96.? one end of the shaft 96 is-journaledrin a bearing 81carriedbya bracket 88 secured to the s rear wallfof the housing 32, and the other end. of the shaft 96 is journaled in a bearing carried byagearhousing 89 within the frame 32.] The rear wall of the'frame 32 has a suitable opening through which the shaft 96 extends. pulley 86 ha's a hub 93 (Fig. which contains the" drivingmenlber of aclutch 92. The driven member of the clutch 92 is connected to a sleeve The is keyed upon the shaft 96. The operator, by depressing a; treadle 98' (see also Fig.4). 3

causes a treadle rod I09 to swing a clutch lever I82 andthereby to slide the sleeve 94 into clutch engaging position, thus coupling the shaft'92 to I thei otatingpulley 83. I Rotationof the shaft 96 sunk about the end of the slot I3I. It is evident that tightening of the nut I39 on the stem I35 will develop a thrust againstthe washer I31 and a tensionin the stem I35 which will clamp the cylindrical block I29 against the wall of its recess I21. j

'A presser foot I34 (Figs. 9, 11, 14 and 16) is positioneddirectlyin advance of the cutting edge I32 of the knifeij The exact amount of this advance isdetermined by the above-described axialadju'stment of the cylindrical block I29. A

' slideblock I36, which carriesthe p-ress'er foot I34 is guided for vertical movement within adovetailed guideway formed in the block I 22. A compression spring I38 housed within a recess formed I. inthe'bloc'kiI36 and interposed between a crossbar I IIl and the bottom of the recess urges the projection. I69 which once in every revolution. of

thecarn shaft will engage a roll' I Iilcarried upon a Qcontrol lever I I 2. Such engagement causes the control lever I I2 to release the clutch lever which is: thereupon moved into disengaging position by a springjllji Rotation of the shafts 95' and IM 1 isthereizpon-stopped by a brake, I I5. Inasmuch as similar one-revolution clutch mechanismsare well known in the art. a more detailed description'f'ofthis portion of 'thelmachine' will not be necessary. I I I The arrangements for mounting and operating the shank reducing knives 49 and 42 will now be described. Considering, for example, the knife43 whichoperates on the outside edge of the left,

sole.L, this knife has a cutting edge I32 (Figs.

I 9 to 16) and a shank I I8 which is rigidly secured to ablock I22. I I '13 and 16) in the knife block I22 accommodates A trans erse slot II9 (Figs; 11,

the shank II8 with suificientclearance to per mit certain adjustments of the knife which will be described later. The shank II3 is'clampedto' a. cylindrical block I23 by'a disk I2I throu which extends a clampin screw I23 thre'aded into the block I20. Ano-tch I25 (Fig. 12) is formed in f the cylindrical block I23 toaccommodate the shank H3. The shank I I3 is thusigripped firmly between the disk I2I and the block I when the screw 7 I 23 is tightened. The cylindrical block I 25 fits withina cylindrical recess 21 in the block I22. A threaded stem. I29 extending-from the outer endofthe cylindrical block I20 carries a nut I24 and a washer I26, which bears against the block. I22 around the recess I21. The. cylindrical block I20 may he slid axially in its recess I21 toadjust the knifeforwardly ior rearw'ardly, as will be explained. Axial'adjustment of the cylindrical block in its recess I21 is facilitated and rendered more accurate 'by the use of the nut and washer. The cylindrical block may also be rotated to obtain a combined adjustment of the height of the knife and the inclination of. its

cutting edge. However, the machine'is provided with an arrangement, to be describedlater, for

adjusting. the height of the knife without affect- I the'spring I38. The stop screw I44 is provided with "a. lock nut I50.

slide and the presser foot downwardly to hold the presser foot yieldingly upon the surface of the work. The crossbar M0 is "secured to the block I22'by' screws I42. it stop screw I44 is threaded into the block I22 and has a beveled en'd l46 which engages a beveled surface I48 formedon the slide I36. It is evident that the turning of the screw I44 will vary the'downward limitto which the presser foot can be urgedby The leading edge of the presser' foot I34 is rounded off, as indicated by 9 the*reference numeral I5I on Fig. 16, to enable the presser foot 'to ride up over the edge of the sole as the block I22 advances. The adjustment of the screw I44 should be such as, to bring the w'orkingface of the presser foot only slightly below the level of the sole.

I The knife block I22 has an upstanding dovetail I52 which slides within a corresponding dovetail guideway formed in a block I5 4 (Figs. 1 and 3). "Journaled in a carriage I56 for rotation about a' vertical axis is a spindle I58 (Fig. 3) having a collar I60 firmly pinned upon its lower end. The guide block I54 is secured to and supported by the collarIBD. The knife block I22 is urged outwardly or toward the left, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, by a pair of relatively weak horizontally arranged compression springs I62 I (see also Fig. 9). Each spring I62 engages a cup-shaped recess formed in a bracket I64 se-j cured to the knife block I 22 and'at-its right-hand end is received withina similar cup-shaped recess .formed'in a lug I66. carried by the guide block I54. 3

Heightwise. adjustment of the knife is effected by means of a knurled nut I68 (Fig. 3) seated within a recess formed in the carriage I56, the end faces of the nut being engageable with the upper and lower walls of the recess, respectively. The nut I33 is threaded upon a screw I13 which isfree to move heightwise'in a bore formed in the carriage I 56. The upper end of the screw I13 is secured to a lug I12 which extends laterally from a bushing I13 surrounding the spindle I58 and within which the spindle is journaled for rotation. The lower end of the bushing I13 bears against the upper end. of the collar I60, and the upper end of the bushing bears against the lower face of a pinion 292secured upon the upper end of the spindle for a purposeto be described later.

It is evident that turning of the nut I68 will adjust the bushing 'I13, and hence the spindle I158, the collar I60, the block I54, the block I22, and the knife III,v upwardly or downwardly.

Thecarriage I56 is slidably mounted upon a bar I14 (Figs. 1, Sand 6) extending forwardly andr'earwardly along the horizontal center line of the machine, the forward end-of the bar being secured to the upright frame member 08 and the rearend of the bar being secured to the upright frame member 66. The bar II4 has a dovetail portion which fits within a corresponding com plemental dovetail formed in the carriage I56.

The arrangement and mounting of the shank reducing knife 42, which operates upon the inner marginal portion of the sole L, is similar in all respects to the arrangement and mounting of the knife 40, as so far described, the knives and their supporting members being arranged symmetrically with respect to each other along the longitudinal center line of the bar I I4. The knife 42 has a carriage I'IG similar to and symmetrical with the carriage I56 and mounted upon the opposite side of the bar I by an, interlocking dovetail. A presser foot I'I'I (Figs; 3 and 17), similar to the presser foot I34 is mounted on the carriage I16 in advance of the knife 42. The knives 40 and 42 and their respective carriages are advanced as a unit longitudinally of the sole,

and for convenience, are secured together at their upper portions by a clamping bolt I I8 (Figs..1 and 3). However, because the shank-reducing out should extend further from the heel end on the inside edge of the sole than on the outside edge, the inside knife 42 is set in advance of the outside knife 40. The extent of such advance may be varied by adjustment, the outer carriage I 56 having a longitudinal slot I80 to permit such adjustment. The clamping bolt I18, which passes through the slot I80, may be loosened and the two carriages adjusted relatively to each other to provide the desired amount of advance of the knife '40 over the knife 42. The clamping bolt I18 is then tightened to bind the carriages together.

The operative movement of the shank reducing knives 40 and 42 is obtained by sliding the carriages I56 and I along the guide bar II4. Such movement of the carriages is accomplished through a link I82 (Figs. 1 and 2) pivotally connected at its forward end to the carriage I16 and at its rearward end to the upper end of a lever I34 (see also Fig. 4) extending from a sleeve I85 which rotates upon a stationary shaft I85. A pair of stationary brackets I88 and I90 support the shaft I86. Extending from the sleeve I85 is a crank arm I95 upon the outer end of which is a cam roll I98. Secured upon the cam shaft I04 is a disk cam 200 having formed in one of its faces a cam groove which engages the roll E98. It is evident that rotation of the cam 200 will rock the sleeve I85 through the arm and that such rocking movement will be transmitted to the lever I84 to advance the knife carriages.

While the knife carriages and their operating mechanisms have been described in detail for the left sole L, it will be understood that a similar pair of knife carriages indicated generally by the reference character 202 (Fig. 2) have been provided for the right sole R. The carriages 202 for the right sole are advanced by a link 204 pivotally connected at its forward end to one of the carriages and pivotally connected at its rearward end to an upper end of an arm 206 which extends upwardly from the sleeve I85. It will be evident from the foregoing description that rotation of the cam 200 will cause the two pairs ofknife carriages to advance in unison. A

Because of the curved outline of the soles, as shown in Figs. 1''! and 19, it is not sufficient merely to advance the knives longitudinally of the soles.

It is. necessary, in order to obtain a uniform thickness ofthe reduced edge of the sole and also a uniform breadth of the shank reducing cut, to provide a component of movement of the shank reducing knives which is transverse with respect to the sol and which'will result in causing the knives to follow paths conforming to the curvature of the sole edges, The mechanism for obtaining this result includes a. lug 208 (Figs. 9, 11,

l4 and 1'7) depending from each of the knife carriers. Each lug 208 has a smooth rounded surface 2I0 which engages the edge of the sole in advance of the knife to gage the knife relatively to the sole and which is yieldingly held in engagement with the sole edge by a spring mechanism.

Thelug 208 extends below the remaining portion of the block I22 (Fig. 14) and, since the lug must clear the work table, it determines the downward limit to which the block I22 can be adjusted. For conditions of intermediate or upper heightwise adjustment of the block I22 the lug 208 will therefore be somewhat above the surface of the work table; but thenormal range of heightwise adjustment of the block I22 is small in comparison with the thickness of the ordinary sole, and since the lug bears against the edge of the sole in advance of the knife, there will be ample space on the sole edge above the level of the bottom of the lug 208 for the lug to bear against. If any unusual downward adjustment of the knife is desired, it can be obtained, as has already been pointed out, by rotating the cylindrical block I in its bearing. The knife, moreover may be one selected from a series of knives for its particular characteristics, such as the height and the slope of its cutting edge.

The spring mechanisms for yieldingly main-- taining the knives in gaged relation to the sole edges are similar for the two soles, and it will be sufficient, therefore, to describe only one in detail, for example, the mechanism used in operating upon the left sole L. This mechanism comprises a pair of fiat plates 2I2 and 2I4 (Figs. 2 and 17) which are slidably supported by the surface of the work table These plates serve as guides or cams, the plate 2I2 having a guiding edge 2I6 which is approximately parallel to the outer edge of the shank and heel portion of the sole L, and

the plate 2I4 having a guiding edge 2I8 which is approximately parallel to the corresponding portion of the inner edge of the sole L. The plate 212 is pivotally secured to a pair of parallel links 220 and HI which are pivotally mounted in the work table 30 and which constrain the movementsv of the plate 2I2' to such positions as to maintain the guiding edge 2"; always parallel to any of its previous positions. The plate 2I4 is similarly constrained to parallel movement by a pair of links 222 and 223. The link 220 (Fig. 1'?) is mounted upon a fulcrum pin 224- which extends downwardly through the-work table 30 and upon the lower end of which is mounted an arm 226 (see also Fig l). A pin 228 extending from the arm 226 engages a slot 230 formed in one end portion of a rod 232. Th opposite end of the rod 232 is pivotally connected to a sleeve 234 which is slidingly mounted for axial movement on a stationary shaft 236. A pair of brackets 238 mounted on the under side of the work table 30 provide support for the shaft 236. Pivotally mounted upon the sleeve 234 by a pin 240 is a link 242, the free end of the link 242 being pivotally connected to a crank arm 244 which extends from a sleeve 246 (Fig. 1). A vertical stationary shaft 248 secured to the housing 32 provides a bearing for the sleeve 246. A pair of collars 249 secured upon the shaft 248 hold the sleeve 246 against axial movement. A second crank arm 250 extending from the sleeve 246 carries acam roll 252 (Fig. 4) upon its free @161. Secured upon the cam shaft I04 is a cam. 254 having a peripheral groove 256 which is engagedby the roll 252. R- tation of the cam 254 will rock the arm 244 through the sleeve 246v and'will thus cause axial movement of the sleeve 234. When the sleeve 234 is thus moved toward the right from the position shown in Fig. 17, the end of the slot 230 will presently engage the pin228, rocking the arm 226 and the link 220 in a counter-clockwise direction and drawing the plate 2I2 to the left away from the sole -L. When the 'sleev 234 on the contrary is moved to the left, the slot 230 will leave the arm 226 and the link 220 free to the action of a tension spring 258' secured at one end to an extension of the arm 226 and anchored at its other end to a pin 260 secured to the lower surface of the work table; The spring 258 is stronger than th springs I62 which urge the knife block I22 away from theedge of the sole. Extending downwardlyfrom the knife block I22 is a pin 262 (Figs. 11 and-14) upon which is mounted a roll 264 (seealso Fig. 17) engageable with the guiding edge 2 I 6 of the plate 2-I2. When the sleeve 234 is moved to the left the spring 258 will overcome the springs I62 and will: urge the knife block in its transverse guideway as far in the direction of the sole as permitted by the gage The guide plate 2I4 i yieldingly urged toward the left as viewed in Figs. 2 and 1'7 by a tension spring 266 secured at one end to anarm which is below the work table 30 and directly below the link 223, said arm being rigidly connected to thalink 223 by a pin 225 extending through and journaled in the work table. The other end of the spring 266 is anchored to a pin 268 extending downwardly from the lower surfaceof the work table 30. The knife block for the carriage I16 is provided with a roll and a gage similar to the roll 264 and the gage 208 whereby the spring 266, which is stronger'than the springs I62 for the carriage I16, will overcome these springs I62 and yieldingly urge the knife block and the knife 42 as far toward the soleas permitted by its gage. Extending from the sleeve234 is a lug 210 engageable with an abutment (not shown) carried by the above-mentioned arm extending from the pin 225. When the sleev 234 is moved to the left it will release the plate 214 to the action of the spring 266 and when the sleeve 234 is moved to the right the lug 210 will engage the abutment just mentioned and draw the plate 2 I4 away from the sole.

-When the sleeve 234 is moved to the left as shown in Fig. 17, the springs258 and 266 will move the guide Plates 2I4 and 2I6 toward each other and toward the sole L which is positioned between them, as far as permitted by the gaging lugs 208 on the knife'blocks. However, the knife'carriages at the beginning ofthe operation occupy a position at the forward end of their stroke as indicated in Fig. 2. When the knife carriagesare in this'position the gaging lugs are beyond the heel end of the sole and consequently cannot serve to limit the movement of the guide plates 2 I 6 and 2I4 under the influence of the springs 258 and 266. However, it is desirable to provide definite heel rather'than the back of the heel when the carriages begin to advance. Accordingly the illusthe guide plates on the right-hand side of the trated machine is provided with a stop in the form of a'disk 214 (Fig. 17) eccentrically mounted upon a pin journaled in the work table and having a head 216 by which the disk may be turned. The disk 214 engages a lug 218 formed on the link 22I. A pair of guide marks 200.0n the work table cooperate with a mark 282 on the eccentric diskto indicate the desirable limits of such adjustment. A similar device 284 is provided for the plate 2I4 and similar devices 286 and 281 are provided for machine.

The guide plates on the right-hand side are similar to those already described upon the lefthand side, the outer right-hand guide plate being operated through aslotted link 288 similar to the link 232 and the inner right-hand guide plate being operated by a lug 290 on the sleeve 234. Movement of the sleeve 234 to the. left will release the right-hand guide plates to the action of their respective springs in the same manner as has already been described in connection with the lefthand guide plates.

In high grade work where a clean cut is desirable, the shank reducing knives should be maintained at approximately right angles to the sole edge and it therefore becomes necessary, be-

cause of the curvature of the sole edges, to rotate the knives. It is also desirable to rotate the knives outwardly at the end of their advancing stroke to cause them" to emerge from the sole at the ball line and thus make a clean termination of the shank reducing cuts. Such rotation of the formed in it rack teeth Which'engage the pinion 292; The rackbar 294 is advanced by a cam 300 (Fig. 4) on the cam shaft I04. The face of the earn 300 has a groove which engages a roll 302 on the free end of a crank arm 304. The opposite end of the arm 304 is secured upon a hub '306 which turns upon the stationary shaft I86. A yoke 305 connects the hub 306 to a hub 301, also on the shaft I86, and causes the hub 301 to turn in unison with the hub 306. Extending upwardly from the hub 301 is a crank arm 308 (see alsojFig. 1) which at its upper end i pivotally connected to'the rearward end of a link 3I0. The forward end of the link 3I0 is pivotally connected to a crossbar 3I2 which is securedto the rack bar 294 and also to a similar and parallel rack bar 3I4 (Figs. 2 and 3) which controls the turning of the knife 42. The operation of the cam 300 thus work table 30. For this purpose a clamp is provided for each of the soles and, since these clamps and their operating mechanisms are similar, only the left-hand clamping members will be described in detail. The clamp for the left-hand sole L comprises a plate 3|6 (Figs. 6 and 8) having a downwardly extending portion 3 I 8 shaped to bear against theforepart of the sole L and a downwardly extending portion 320 shaped to bear against the heel portion of the sole. The relation of the sole-engaging portions 3l8 and 320 of the clamps to the soles is illustrated in Fig. 17,

wherein the sole-engaging portions are indicated by bro-ken lines. Secured upon the upper surface of the plate 316 are a pair of brackets 322 having notched end portions 324 which engage annular grooves formed in the lower portion of a pair of hollow plungers 326. center the clamping members rather than to transmit the pressure of the plungers. The lower ends of the plungers are convexly rounded and bear against the upper surface of the plate 3l8. The clamping pressures are obtained by coil compression springs 328 housed within the hollow plungers 326. The lower end of each spring 328 bears against the bottom of the recess in the plunger Within which the spring is housed. The upper end of each spring bears against an abutment 336 slidable within the recess of the clamp.-

ing member and bearing against the lower surface of a slide bar 332 The upright frame members66 and 66 and the supporting bar I14 are bored to provide a horizontal guideway for the Slide b r The supporting bar 114 is also bored to provide Vertical guideways for the clamping plungers 326. The' upper portion of each clamping plunger 326 is recessed to provide a pair of upstanding ears 334 which embrace the slide bar 332. Inasmuch as the slide bar is offairly large diameter the portion passing between the ears 334 is slabbed 01f to provide a running clearance. Secured between the ears 334 and extending diametrically-across each clamping plunger above the slide bar 332 is a pin 336 upon which is mounted a roll 338. The upper surface of the slide bar beneath each of the rolls 338 is notched to provide an inclined cam or 'wedging surface 340 enga eable with the roll 338. Pivotally connecting the rearward end of the slide bar 332 and the upper end of an arm 342 is a link 344. The arm 342 (see also Fig. 4) extends upwardly from a hub 346 which is rotatable upon the stationary shaft I86. A yoke shapedcrank 348 connects the hub 346 to a similar hub 353 also rotatable on'the shaft 183. A crank arm 352 extending from the hub 350 carries a cam roll 354. A cam 356 secured upon the cam shaft I04 has formed in one of its faces a groove which engages the roll 35 4. Rotation of the cam 356 serves to rock the arm 3,52 and the arm 342 to operate the slide bar 332. Fig. 6 shows the position of the clamping mechanism after the arms 352 and 342 have been rocked clockwise from normal position to move the slide bar 332 to the right, enabling the springs 328 to exert clamping pressure through the plungers 326. Continued rotation of the cam 356 in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 6 will serve to hold the sole clamped, long enough for the shank-reducing operation, and then to move the slide bar to the left to unclamp the sole.

The instrumentalities for clamping the righthand sole R are similar to those already described for the left-hand sole and are operated by an upstanding arm 358 (Fig. 4) secured' on the hub 350.

Before the beginning of the operation the machine should first be adjusted to the particular length and style of the soles to be treated. For long soles the knob 16 should be turned to adjust the toe gages 34 and 36' rearwarc lly while for short These brackets serve to soles, this knob should be turned in the opposite direction to adjust the toe gages forwardly. For soles having a pronounced inward swing, the gages 34 and 36 should be adjusted further apart by turning the knob 12 than for soles of only a moderate degree of swing. After performing these adjustments theoperator inserts a pair of soles Land R into the machine, sliding the soles forwardly until their toe ends engage the appropriate gages. The notches 33 in the forward portion of the work table enable the operator to gage the lateral positions of the heel ends of the sole with sufficient accuracy. The operator then depresses the treadle 98 to start rotation of the cam shaft I04. The cycle of operations thus initiated is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig, 18. The first operation after the cam shaft has started to rotate is the clamping of the soles firmly against the work table through the mechanism associated with the cam 356. As soon as the soles have thus been clamped in position the cam 254 operates to release the left-hand guide plates 212 and 214 and also the corresponding right-hand guide plates. The guide plates of each pair thereupon under the influence of their associated springs move toward each other from the normal sepaknife carriages.

rated positions in which they were held by the cam 254 while-the machine was at rest. Such inward movement of the guide plates is limited by the eccentrics. 214 and 234 for the left sole and 286 and 281 for the right sole. The cam 260 thereupon causes the knife carriages to begin to advance until the lugs 208, which occupy the position beyond the heel end of the sole, come into engagement with the sides of the heel and thus gage the knife blocks laterally of the sole. The knife carriages continue to advance and the knives operate upon the. lateral margins of the sole while the knife blocks are continuously caged laterally by the edges of the sole. At the same time that the knife carriages begin to advance the cam 30!] causes the rack bars 294 and 314 of the left-hand knife carriages to advance and also the corresponding rack bars of the right-hand The advance of the rack bars takes place at the same rate of speed as the carriages, holdin the knives against rotation, until each knife reaches a position adjacent to the ball line of the sole. The knife carriages thereupon stop while the rack bars continue with the result that each knife is rotated about the spindle which carries its supporting block. The operation of the knives is illustrated in Fig. 19 wherein the lines 44! and 443 represent the positions of the edges of the knives 4| and 43 when the inside knife 43 first makes contact with the heel end of the right sole R and wherein the lines 54! and 543 represent the positions of the knife edges at the end of the advancing movements of their carriages but before the knives begin to rotate. The lines 641 and 643 represent the paths of travel of the axes of the respective knife spindles. The advance ofthe inside knife 43, over the outside knife 4| is shown in each pair of lines. The lines "I and 143 represent the positions of the knife edges at the limits of their-rotations. It will be apparent from Fig. 19 that the rotations of the knife blades will serve not only to maintain the knife edges substantially at right angles to the edges of the sole at the localities of greatest curvature, but also to terminate the shank reducing cuts and bring the knives out of contact with the sole at the ball line, indicated on Fig. 19 by the broken line. B.

The knives, after the completion of their operative movements, are held stationaryfor a brief pause or dwell during which'the clamps (as shown inFig. 18) are releasedto enable the operator to s f line of the sole, and means for turning the knives remove the soles from themachine. The guide plates are also automatically separated to their normal positions during this dwell; The remainder of the cycle consists in rotating the knives back to their normal-angular positions and in returning the knife carriages-to their forward ,or'normal positions. now complete and the automatic one-revolution clutch mechanism operates'to stop'rotation of the cam shaft. i -J 1 It has already been: mentioned that, in the illustrated machine, the knivesare held against rotation during the advanceof the knife carriages, and are then rotated while. the knife carriages are stationary. 'such control of the rota tion of the knives results in a sufficiently close approximation of thedesired right-angled relation between the edges ofthe knive and theedges of the sole. However,- it will be readily understood that the rotation ofthe knives by the The cycle of operation is operation of the cam 30B is'independent of the advance of the knife carriages by the operation of the cam and that by a suitable change in the design of the cam, the rackbarszwhich rotate the knives may be advanced differentially sole R. The toe gages 34 and 36 should'be adjusted forwardly by turning theknob 70 until the ball line of the short sole coincides with the position previously occupied by the ball line B of the longer sole. Such adjustment may be facilitated by providing suitable calibrations. for size on the I knob 10, these calibrations being so spaced as to bring the ball lines of soles of allsizes to the same locality on the machine. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is: I

1. In a machine for performing a cutting operation along the marginal portion of a sole, a

single-bladed knife, a sole support having a sub stantially plane working surface, means for advancing the knife along the edge of a sole on'said support to cause the knife torcut progressively along the sole margin, and means for turning the knife in timed relation to the advancing means about an axis substantially normal to theplane of said solesupport to maintain the cuttingedgeof the knifersubstantially at right angles to the edge of the sole. r Y

2. In a shank reducing machine, a work table, a pair of single-bladed knives for operating upon the opposite marginal portions of a sole on said work table, means for advancing, the knive along the opposite edges of the sole to cause the knives to make shank reducing cuts, :and means for turning each knife in timed, relation to the-advancing means about an axis'substantially 'normal to said work table to maintain the-cutting cause them to reduce .theshank of the sole at the opposite lateral margins thereof, said advancing means being-constructed and arranged to stop when the knives are in the vicinity of the ball outwardly to cause'them to emerge from the sole at the ball, line after the stopping of the advancing means.

4. In a machine for beveling the marginal portion of asole, a work table for supportinga sole,

a knife, a block for holding the knife, a carriage inwhich said block is mounted for rotation about :95. In a shank reducing machine, a pair of knives for operating uponthe opposite marginal portions of a sole, means'for advancing the knives relatively to the sole to cause them to make shank reducing cuts, a pivotal connection between each knife and'said advancing meansfor enabling the knives'to rotate in theplane of the sole, a cam,

and mechanism operated by saidcam to rotate said knives to maintain their cutting edges sub-, stantially at right angles to the edges of the sole at the curved shank portions.

6. In .a shank reducingmachine, a work table for supporting a sole, .a clamp for holding the sole-against saidworktable, a knife block, a shank reducing knife mountedin said knife block,

a pivotal support for-enabling said knife block to rotate about an axisperpendicular to said work table, said support being constructed and" arranged also to enable the knife block to move toward and away from the edge of the sole, a

gage on the knife block engageable with the edge of the sole, means for yieldably urging the knife block toward the sole as faraspermitted by said gage, means foradvancing the pivotal support to cause the knife to perform its shank reducing operation, and means for rotating the knife block about said pivotal support to maintain the cutting .edge of the knife substantially at right angles to the edge of the sole at the curved shank portion.

7. In a'machine for performing .a cutting operation along the? marginal portion of a sole, a support for a sole, a knife, means for causing relative movement between the sole support and the knife tocause'the knifeto operate progressively along the marginal portion of the sole, a gage associated with said knife to gage the knife laterally of the sole, a springfor yieldingly holding the gage against the edge of the soleas the knife progresses, and meansfor maintaining the stress of'said spring substantially constant not- .withstanding the considerable degree of movement of the gage laterally of the sole caused by the curvature of'the sole edge as the gage pro gresses. i 3

'8. In a shank reducing machine, a sole support, a shank reducing knife, a guide approximately parallel to the edge of the sole, a spring urging said guide toward the sole, gaging means associated withzthe knife and engageable simul- .-taneously with the edge of the sole and the guide to maintain the knife in gaged' relation to the solerunder the influence of the spring-pressed stroke, the guide serving by reason of its ap- 1 proximately parallel relationtothe edge of the sole to eliminate excessive flexing of the spring as the knife advances, thereby insuring a substantially constant gage pressure against the edge of the sole.

9. In a shank reducing machine, a sole support, a shank reducing knife, a guide having an edge approximately parallel to the edge of the sole, a pair of parallel links pivotally connected to said guide, a'fixed pivot about which each of said links may swing, said links serving to contrain the guide to parallel movement toward and from the sole, a spring urging the guide toward the sole, gaging means associated with the knife and engageable simultaneously with the edge of the sole and the edge of the guide to maintain the knife in gaged relation to the sole' under the influence of the spring-pressed guide, and means for advancing the knife together with its aging means relatively to the sole and the guide to cause the knife to perform its cutting stroke, the guide serving by reason of its approximately parallel relation to the edge of "the sole to eliminate excessive flexing of the spring as the knife advances, thereby insuring a substantially constant gage pressure against the edge of the sole.

10. A sole fitting machine, comprising a support for a pair of soles, a plurality of clamps for clampin the soles on said support, a plurality of knives for operating on the soles, and a common means for operating said clamps in unison and said knives in unison in timed relation to the operation of said clamps.

11. A sole fitting machine, comprising a support for a pair of sales, clamps for clamping the soles on said support, knives for operating on the soles, a driven cam shaft, a cam on said shaft, operating connections between said cam and said clamps, another cam on said shaft, and operating connections between said other cam and said knives, said cams being designed first to cause the soles to be clamped to the support, then to operate the knives, and then to cause the soles to'be released.

12. A sole fitting machine, comprising a sole support, a clamp for clamping a sole upon said support, a pair of shank reducing knives for operating upon the, opposite lateral edge portions of the sole, and cam-controlled mechanism for operating the clamp and the knives first to cause the clamp to clamp the sole upon the support, then to cause the knives to advance simultaneously in operative relation to the sole, and finally to cause the clamp to release the sole.

13'. In a sole fitting machine, a pair of tools operable simultaneously on the lateral margins of a sole, relatively weak yieldable means for urging said tools apart to an inoperative position .to facilitate the insertion of a sole between them and the removal of the sole, relatively strong yieldable means for urging said tools. toward each other to an operative position, means for limiting the movement of the tools toward each other to position the tools in relation to the edge of the sole,

and control means for rendering the: relatively strong yieldable means operative and inoperative. 14. In a shank reducing machine, a pair of shank reducing knives operable simultaneously on.

the lateral margins of a sole, relatively weak resilient means for urging said knives apart to-an inoperative position to facilitate the insertion of a sole between them and the removal of the sole, relatively strong resilient means for urging said knives toward each other to anoperative position, means for limiting the movement of the knives toward each other to position the knives in cause the knives to make shank reducing cuts while the distance of the knives apart is controlled by said movement-limiting means.

15. In a shank reducing machine, a work table, a shank reducing knife, a carriage for said knife, a pivotal connection between said knife and said carriage for enabling the knife to turn about an axis substantially normal to said work table, means for moving said carriage to cause the knife to make a shank reducing cut on a sole on said work table, and means for turning the knife about said axis to maintain the cutting edge of the knife substantially at right angles to the edge of the sole. F

16. In a shank reducing machine, a work table, a shank reducing knife foroperating on a sole on said work table, a slide on which said knife is mounted, a, block having a guideway for said slide, a carriage for said block, means for moving said carriage to cause the knife to make a shank reducing cut on the sole, a pivotal connection between the block and the carriage for enabling the knife to turn about an axis substantially normal to the work table, means for turning the knife about said axis to maintain the cutting edge of the knife substantially at right angles to the edge of thesole, and means for controlling the position of the slide in the guideway to maintain the knife in a desired relation to the edge of the sole.

17. In a shank reducing machine, a work table, a shank reducing knife for operating on a sole on said work table, a slide on which said knife is mounted, a block having a guideway in which said slide is movable in a direction parallel to the work table, a carriage for said block, means for moving said carriage to cause the knife to make a shank reducing cut on the sole, a pivotal connection between the block and the carriage for en- .abling the knife to turn about an axis substantially normal to the Work table, means for turning the knife about said axis to maintain the cutting edge of the knife substantially at right angles to the edge of the sole, a gage engageable with the edge of the sole for controlling the position of the slide inthe guideway to maintain the knife in a desired relation to the edge of the sole, and a spring for holding said gage yieldingly against the edge of the sole.

18. In a shank reducing machine, a work table, a shank reducing knife for'operating on a sole on said work table, a carriageforsaid knife,

mean for moving the carriage to cause the knife to make a shank reducing cut on the sole, a spindie journaled in said carriage for rotation about an axis normal to said work table, means for supporting the knife on said spindle, a gear on said spindle, a rack meshing with said gear, and means for moving said rack at a rate which may differ 4 from the rate of movement of the carrier,'such difference in rate serving to rotate the spindle to maintain the cutting edge of the knife substantially atright angles to the edge of the sole as the knife ,progressessalongthe sole.

19. In a shank reducing machine, a work table, a shank reducing knife for operating on a sole on said work table, a carriage for said knife, a rotary driven cam, a driving connection from said cam for moving the carriage to cause the knife to make a shank reducing cut on the sole, a spindle I journaled in said carriage for rotation about an sole on the sole support, means for moving the v to make a shank reducing cut on the sole, said axis normal to the workztable, means for support-. ing the knife on said sipndle, a gear on said spindle, a rack meshing with said gear, a second rotary driven cam, and a driving connection from said cam for movingsaid rack at a rate to control the angular position of the edge of the knife about the axis of the spindle and thereby main! taining the edge of the knife in a desired angular relation to the edge of the sole.

20. In a shank reducing machine, a support for a sole, a shank reducing knife for operating on, a

knife longitudinally of the sole to causethe knife moving means being constructed and arranged to I permit the knife a component of; movement trans-y versely of the sole, a -gage associated with the 1 knife and engageable with the edge of the sole to guide the knife, a plate having an edge approxi- 20 mately parallel to the edge of the sole, resilient means urging said plate toward the sole, and

. a member associated with said knife and engageable with said edge of the plate to urge the knife.-

as permitted by said gage.

, 21. In a shank reducing machine, a support for a sole, a shank reducing knife for operating on a sole on the sole support, means for moving the knife longitudinally of the sole to cause the knife to make a shank reducing cut-on the sole, said moving means being constructed and arranged to permit the knife a component of movement transversely of the sole, va gage associated with the knife and vengageable with the edge of the sole to guidethe knife, a plate having an edge approxi- ..mately parallel to the edge of theisole, a rela-' tively strong spring urging said plate toward said sole, 2. member associated with said knife and engageable with said edge of the plate to urge the knife under the influence of the spring as far as permitted by the gage, means forretracting said plate against the opposition-of said spring to facilitate of the removal of a solefrom the sup- CHARLES E. II-IO'OD. 

